"Gargoyles" (1994) TV series 1994-1996

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Creator:

Greg Weisman

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

24 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Crime | Family | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

One thousand years ago superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles.

Plot:

A clan of heroic night creatures pledge to protect modern New York City as they did in Scotland long ago

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Gargoyle | Magic | Detective | Manhattan

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Keith David	...	Goliath / ... (74 episodes, 1994-1996)
Salli Richardson-Whitfield	...	Elisa Maza / ... (71 episodes, 1994-1996)
Jeff Bennett	...	Brooklyn / ... (58 episodes, 1994-1996)
Edward Asner	...	Hudson / ... (49 episodes, 1994-1996)
Frank Welker	...	Bronx / ... (49 episodes, 1994-1996)
Thom Adcox-Hernandez	...	Lexington / ... (48 episodes, 1994-1996)
Bill Fagerbakke	...	Broadway / ... (48 episodes, 1994-1996)
Jonathan Frakes	...	David Xanatos / ... (43 episodes, 1994-1996)
Brigitte Bako	...	Angela (38 episodes, 1995-1996)

Runtime:

USA:30 min (78 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) (DVD release) | USA:TV-PG | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Buena Vista Television

Trivia:

Disney's first animated drama series.

Goofs:

Continuity: Throughout the series, the Gargoyles (including Demona) frequently forget that Demona can only die by MacBeth's hand.

Quotes:

Goliath: One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness, it was a world of fear, it was the age of Gargoyles. Stone by day, warriors by night, we were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years. Now, here in Manhattan, the spell is broken and we live again! We are defenders of the night, we are Gargoyles!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "House of Mouse: House of Scrooge (#3.5)" (2002)

Disney TV at its Best

"Gargoyles" was a series released during the "Disney Afternoon" block of the mid-nineties. What makes it so unique is that it's still the only dramatic animated series Disney TV has ever produced. It stunned people at the time with its tragic plots, realistic weapons, and clear consequences to characters' actions. It's definitely not for young children (the Y7 rating is a good guideline), but don't think it's just another brainless afternoon shoot-'em-up designed to sell action figures. The backbone of this saga is what all timeless fiction must contain: plot and character development. The writing is taut, the acting fantastic, and the animation beautiful, but they are all mere servants to the story, which stays interesting and moderately serialized throughout the entire series (just the first season has been released on DVD, 13 of 65 episodes).

Overall, I think this is the best animated television series to ever come out of this country. If you at all appreciate the art form, you'll wonder where this show has been all your life. In a time when comedies are saturating both the primetime and daytime cartoon markets, it's nice to find a gripping animated drama without needing to set your sights to the other side of the Pacific. Highly recommended.